Roller bearing drawer guide



July 12, 1932. A. c. KENNEDY ROLLER BEARING DRAWER GUIDE Filed Feb. 12;1930 ENVENTOR A. C KENNEDY M WLZM ATTORNEYS v Patented July 12, 1932UNITED STATE PATENT; OFFICE ALBERT C. KENNEDY, F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA,ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO WIL- LIAM FRANCIS KENNEDY, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-THIRD TO JANICE CAROLINE KENNEDY, OF LONG BEACH,CALIFORNIA ROLLER BEARING DRAWER some Application filed February 12,1930. Serial 170.427,?98.

My invention pertains to roller bearing drawer guides and theconstruction of drawers utilizing such guides.

In the installation of sets of drawers in 1 built-in features, it iscustomary to reduce the guide bars for the drawers and have single fixedbars at the bottom and top of the drawer. In the ordinary practice thedrawers are made to have a rubbing contact with these guide bars, butwith such construction the drawers cannot be maintained properly alignedand considerable friction has to be overcome to operate the drawer andfrequently they become. so much out of in alignment as to jam andprevent operation. .An object therefore of my invention is theemployment of roller bearing guide elements to cooperate with the guidebars. These elements are, preferably attached to the inner part of thedrawer and guide the drawer on both the upper and lower guide bars. Thisconstruction maintains the rear part of the drawer always in properalignment with the drawer opening in the face of the 2b fixture. In thisconnection another detailed object and feature of my invention isforming a roller guide for the bottom rear part of the drawer, suchguide having a plate or the like attachable to the back part of thedrawer and this plate has a single roller operating on a horizontalaxle, the roller bearing 'on the top of the lowermost guide bar andthere being two vertical rollers on vertical studs engaging oppositesides of this lower guide bar. Such construction therefore supports theinner pair of drawers slightly above the guide bar and the drawer isguided both as to lateral and to a certain extent vertical 4displacement. Cooperating with this I preferably use an upper guideroller secured to the upper inner part of the drawer and bearing againstthe upper guide bar. This roller is mounted on a horizontal axle andthus with the lower horizontal roller restricts up and down motion ofthe inner part of the drawer and reduces the friction of movement. V i 1Another object and feature of my invention isvthe employment of guiderollers secured inside of the wall fixture having the drawer opening andpositioned to engage the opposite sides and the opposite lower edge ofthe drawer. Thus at the drawer opening in the fixture, the drawer isguided to reduce frictional resistance when passing through the draweropening and the rollers facilitate the sliding action of thedrawer aswell as maintaining the drawer properly centered. 1

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drawer in thedrawer guides, taken fromthe inward part .of the drawer;'

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, of one form of the guide roller mountingto engage the bottom guide bar;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the roller mounting to engage the upperguide bar;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the guide roller mountings toengage the side and the lower edge of the drawer;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of lower guide rollermounting to engage the lower bar.

In the drawing, a section of a wall fixture is'designated by the numeral11. Thismay be a constructionhaving a series of drawers therein and thedrawer opening is indicated by the numeral 12, such. opening being shownas rectangular. There is a lowerguide bar 13 and an upper guide bar 14;extending inwardly from the'inside face 15 of the fixture 11. These areillustrated as being rectangular as is the .ordinarycustom., ljhe drawerdesignated generally at 16 has an 111 ner end" 17 opposite side walls18,.afront 19 and a bottom 20.

The lower roller mounting to engage the lower guide is indicatedparticularly inFig.

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2 and designated by the numeral 21. This is shown as having a flat plate22 with an upward flange 23, there being if desired a pair of slots 24for securing screws. A pair of vertical studs 25 depending from theplate 22 have vertical rollers 26 thereon and secured to the flange 23there is a bent strap 27. This strap has one portion secured to theflange 23 and has ears 28. An axle 29 extends between ihese ears and:..on "this axle there is .a rotatable roller 30. This mounting for therollers is secured on the rear board 17 and on .the bottomof the drawer,in which case the plate 22.'fits against the hottom'20 of the drawer andthe fian'gei28 against the back board 17.

The vertical rollers 26 engage .opposite sides of the lower guide bar 13and the roller 30 engages the upper tsurface of this .bar. Thisconstruction holds the bottom of the drawer with a suflicient clearanceabove the guide bar t'o-allow free sliding.

The bearing mounting to engage the upper guide bar 14 is illustrated inFig. 3 'and designated generally by the numeral 31. This has ananglep'late with a vertical'section32 and .a horizontal section 33. Thevertical section has a slot 34 and perforations 35' to be engaged'byscrews or securing devices. A U-shaped strap 36 has a portionsecured tothe hor i'zontal seiction 33 *an'd'upstanding cars 37 *with an mile 38"between the ears and the roller 39 on the a-xle. This isse'cured to theinner board :19 ofthe 'drawer and preferably with the vertical platesection 32 on the inside of the drawer an'd' with the section-33 restingon the top'edge 'ofthe board 17 This brings the roller 89'intoenga'gem'ent with the undersurface of the upper guide bar 14.

The side and 'bottom fbe'aring mounting illustrated-in Fig. 4, isdesignated generally by the numeral 4:0. This has an angleplate with aflatsid'e 41 with screw hole perforations theretlrrough and 'is designedto fit against the inner surface-of the fixture llhaving the draweropening. There is an inwardly bent section 42 which hasan extension 43in alignment *withthe portion 42 and with laterally 'turned ears 44withapin 15 therethrough and on this pin there is a roller 46. Inaddition there is aistrap47 welded or riveted to the portion 42 of theangle. This straphasan underneath bent portion 48 with 'a singleiupturned "ear- 49, there being-a pin "50 :between this ear and theportion 42 of the angle' with the zroller 51 operating on the pin 50.-

There are two of these units-mountedion the inside of th'e fixture'Tl asillustrated in Fig. 1 so that the roller- 46 comes in contact'with theoutside-of the sideboard 18'ofthe drawer adjacent the lower portion ofthis side board and with the roller 51 extending underneath thedrawer-and operating on the under'sur face of the drawer. These pairs ofrollers son opside of the board 17. There are a pair of vertical pins 55dep'ending'from the portion 5%,eachpin having 'aroller 56 thereon. In

-.addition a .U-shaped strap 57 having ears '58is secured to theundersurface of the portion -5.4,'and a,pin.59 therethrough with aroller 60. When this construction is utilized thewerticalrollers 56engage opposite sides of the guide harlfiand the roller 60 operates onthe upper surface of :this guide bar.

Various changesinaytbe made in the principles of my invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof as set iforth in the description,drawing .and claims.

"I claim:

;1. A device :as described, comprising in combinationia fixturev havinga drawer opening 'withupperand lower centralguide bars extendinginwardly from the opening, a drawer mounteditoslide through said opening;andl'between the bars, a roller mounting securedto the inner and lo gaf th 3.

drawers having apair of vertical rollers to engage oppositteisi'des anda horizontal roller to engage the top of the lower guide'bar and a'roller mounting secured 'to'the upper edge of-the'inner end of thedrawer engaging'the lower side 'ofthe upper guide bar and rollermountings secured to opposite sides of the drawer opening on the.fixture, each having a'vertical and a horizontal roller, the verticalrollers engaging thesides of the drawer and thehorizontal rollers thelower edge of the drawer, the roller mounting on the fixture comprisinganangularly bent plate with one side secured to the fixture and theother side having a U-sh-aped roller mounting with a pin-'nrormting thevertical roller, and a strap secured torone part of the plate andextendinginwardly under the drawer and having a horizontal'pin mountedin the horizontal roller.

'2. .A roller mounting for drawers, comprising an 'angularly bent platehaving a vertical and a horizontal section, the vertical section'beingadapted'tobe secured to the verticaliinner'end of adrawer and thehorizontal section'to fit underneath the drawer, a pair of vertical pinssecured to the horizontal portion andhaving vertical rollers thereon,and a "Ushaped frame secured to the horizontal portion of'the plateand-having a horizontal roller thereon, said rollers being adapted toengage 011 opposite sides and the top of a guide bar underneath thedrawer.

3. A roller mounting for drawers, comprising a plate having a verticaland a horizontal portion, the vertical portion fitting on one side ofthe inner end of the drawer and the horizontal portion on the upper endof the drawer, a U-shaped frame on the horizontal portion having ahorizontal roller mounted therein, the said roller being adapted toengage the lower surface of an upper guide bar over a drawer.

4. A roller mounting for drawers, comprising an angularly bent framehaving a first portion to attach to a fixture inside of a drawer openingand a second portion having a U-shaped frame with a vertical rollermounted therein, a strap secured to the second portion and bent at rightangles thereto inwardly and having a horizontal roller mounted betweenan upturned portion of the strap and the second portion of the plate,said rollers being adapted to engage the side and the underedge of adrawer respectively.

5. A device as described comprising in combination a fixture having adrawer opening with a lower central guide bar extending inwardly fromthe opening, a drawer mounted to slide through said opening, a rollermounting secured to the inner and lower portion of the fixture on eachside adjacent the drawer opening, said roller mountings having avertical roller to engage the sides of the drawer and horizontal rollersto engage underneath'the edge of the drawer, whereby the drawer isguided on both sides and underneath at the edges, and a third rollermounting having an angular plate secured to the bottom and to the innerend of the drawer, said plate having a pair of depending pins withrollers thereon to engage on opposite sides of the guide bar, and alsohaving a pair of depending ears with a horizontal roller mountedtherebetween to engage the upper edge of the guide bar.

6. A device as described comprising in combination a fixture having arectangular drawer opening, a drawer mounted to slide through saidopening, a roller mounting secured on each side of the fixture adjacentthe drawer opening, each mounting having an angular plate with one sidesecured to the fixture and the other side parallel to a side of thedrawer, the side adjacent the drawer having a pair of ears with avertical roller to engage the side of the drawer, a frame connected tothe same side and extending underneath the drawer and having ahorizontal roller to engage the lower edge of the drawer whereby thedrawer is supported on both sides and guided on both sides.

7 A device as claimed in claim 6, a horizontal guide bar extending fromthe said fixture below the opening inwardly and parallel to theunderside of the drawer, a third roller mounting formed of an angularplate with one side secured to the bottom and the other secured to theinner side of the drawer, a pair of vertical rollers extendingdownwardly from the under side of the plate to engage opposite sides ofthe bar, and a pair of ears extending downwardly from the under side ofthe plate and having a horizontal roller to engage the top of the bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT G. KENNEDY.

